Minnesota March for Science
Saturday, 22 April
March begins at 11:00 AM, Rally at Noon!
Please join fellow students, post-docs, and faculty from the University of Minnesota as we march in support of public support for open and critical inquiry in the sciences. More details, including transportation directions, can be found HERE.
Join us at the March and, if you’re extra fired up, please come to one of our pre-March events the week before the big day.
Phone Bank with MN Academics United
Tuesday 18 April, 5:30-7:30pm at the MN Academics United office (2233 University Ave W #355 in St. Paul)
Come to phone bank and help us get out the word about the March.
More Sign Making and Phone Banking
Thursday 20 April, 6:00pm-7:00pm at the Institute on the Environment Atrium (1954 Buford Ave in St. Paul)
Join us for final sign making and phone banking in advance of the March.
March for Science
Saturday 22 April, 8:00am-3:00pm in St. Paul
Please see below for meeting places to participate in the March for Science together. Bring your green and blue
clothes, a sign, and your smile to this peaceful rally and march.
State Election Results
MN State Senate: Republicans had a net pick-up of 6 seats to take the state senate with a 34 to 33 majority.
MN State House: Republicans had a net gain of 4 seats to expand their existing majority to 76 to 57 (one seat has to be decided by a special election in several months.)
School Board Election Results
Big Lake Public Schools: Both incumbents who voted to outsource and privatize our food service members’ jobs were re-elected. SEIU member endorsed Tony Scales won the third seat left open by a retiring school board member. SEIU member endorsed Scott Joos-the husband of a Local 284 member was not elected.
Minneapolis Public Schools: All SEIU member endorsed school board candidates in Mpls Public Schools won their election.
Kim Ellison was elected handily as the At-Large member
Kerry Jo Felder narrowly as the District 2 member
Bob Walser as the District 4 member (narrowly defeating incumbent Josh Reinmetz)
Ira Jourdain in District 6 (narrowly defeating incumbent Tracine Asberry).
*The SEIU member endorsed education funding levy in Mpls passed by a very large margin.
Robbinsdale Public Schools: All three incumbents were re-elected: Helen Bassett, Sherry Tyrrell and John Vento. Bassett and Vento were SEIU member endorsed. SEIU member endorsed Andrea Bejarano-Robinson was not elected.
ROCORI Public Schools: SEIU member endorsed Sunny Hesse and Shannon Humbert won two of the three seats open. Incumbent Lynn Schurman was re-elected-taking the third seat-but incumbent Nadine Schnettler was defeated. SEIU member endorsed Nicole Bottelberghe was not elected.
St. Cloud Public Schools: SEIU member endorsed Shannon Haws was the top vote-getter for the four seats open. Monica Segura-Schwartz was in second place, SEIU member endorsed Jeff Pollreis was in third place, and the one incumbent running-Al Dahlgren-came in fourth for the last open seat. SEIU-endorsed candidates John Palmer and Ric Studer were not elected.
*In school board races 11 of 16 SEIU member endorsed candidates (69%) were elected. The one levy we supported prevailed.
Our members have met with school board candidates in several districts who are running for election on Tuesday, November 8, 2016. They are recommending these candidates because they value our work in our schools, and want to work with us as school board members. They support strong and fair funding for every school district in Minnesota:
Big Lake (ISD# 727)
Scott Joos
Tony Scales
Minneapolis (ISD# 1)
Kim Ellison (At-Large)
Kerry Jo Felder (District 2)
Bob Walser (District 4)
Ira Jourdain (District 6)
Vote “Yes” on Minneapolis Levy
Robbinsdale (ISD# 281)
Helen Bassett
Andrea Bejarano-Robinson
John Vento
ROCORI (ISD# 750)
Nicole Bottelberghe
Sunny Hesse
Shannon Humbert
St. Cloud (ISD# 742)
Shannon Haws
John Palmer
Jeff Pollreis
Ric Studer
For a list of other SEIU MN State Council-endorsed state legislative and other candidates: http://seiumn.org/2016/10/25/seiu-minnesota-state-council-2016-endorsements/
Find your polling place and see your ballot
For more info and/or volunteer to help our endorsed candidates please contact SEIU Local 284 Political Director Jim Niland at jimn@local284.com . Thanks!
SEIU’s endorsed candidates did well in the primary on Tues., Aug. 9. In the St. Cloud school board (ISD 742) primary our endorsed candidates-Shannon Haws, Jeff Pollreis and Ric Studer-all succeeded in advancing to the Tues., Nov. 8 general election. Shannon Haws was the top vote-getter in a 9-person field for the four seats up in this year’s election-and got significantly more votes than the one incumbent running who has not been a friend of St. Cloud schools employees
In the Aug. 9 Rosemount (ISD 196) special general election to fill the one seat on that school board Sachin Isaacs was elected-outpolling SEIU-
St. Cloud and Rosemount steward/member activists helped mobilize our members and other voters for our endorsed candidates-doorknocking, phoning and elsewhere.
SEIU’s candidates also did well in other Aug. 9 primaries. State house candidates Julie Sandtede (Legislative District (LD) 6A), Liz Olson (7B ), Deb Hilstrom (40B ), Andrew Carlson (50B) ), Jared Christiansen (56A), and Rena Moran (65A) won their primaries handily. State senate candidates Matt Klein (Senate District (SD) 52), Bobby Joe Champion (59), and Jeff Hayden (62) also won their primaries handily. But endorsed state house candidates Joe Mullery (59A) and Phyllis Kahn (60B ) lost their primaries.
SEIU endorsed U.S. congresspeople Betty McCollum (4th Congressional District (CD 4) and Keith Ellison handily won their primaries. And Debbie Goettel-our endorsed candidate for Hennepin County’s Board of Commissioners’ 5th District-also handily won her primary.
SEIU now moves on to the critically important general election on Tues., Nov. 8-just 88 days away! We need your help to win that election-to help please contact SEIU Local 284 Political Director Jim Niland at (651)256-9139 or jimn@local284.com .
Our members have met with school board candidates in several districts who are running for election on Tuesday, November 8, 2016. They are recommending these candidates because they value our work in our schools, and want to work with us as school board members. They support strong and fair funding for every school district in Minnesota:
Big Lake (ISD# 727)
Scott Joos
Tony Scales
Minneapolis (ISD# 1)
Kim Ellison (At-Large)
Kerry Jo Felder (District 2)
Bob Walser (District 4)
Ira Jourdain (District 6)
Vote “Yes” on Minneapolis Levy
Robbinsdale (ISD# 281)
Helen Bassett
Andrea Bejarano-Robinson
John Vento
ROCORI (ISD# 750)
Nicole Bottleberghe
Sunny Hesse
Shannon Humbert
St. Cloud (ISD# 742)
Shannon Haws
Jeff Pollreis
Ric Stuuder
For a list of other SEIU MN State Council-endorsed state legislative and other candidates: http://seiumn.org/2016/07/18/seiu-minnesota-state-council-2016-endorsements/
For more info and/or volunteer to help our endorsed candidates please contact SEIU Local 284 Political Director Jim Niland at jimn@local284.com . Thanks!
At a rally Thursday, educators, students and some lawmakers called for the $1.87 billion surplus to be spent on education
Hannah Weikel, Minnesota Daily
With a $1.87 billion surplus expected, students, educators and some state lawmakers are calling for the state’s windfall to be invested in education.
Of the surplus, Gov. Mark Dayton and state Legislature will be able to divvy up $1.2 billion. The remaining funding will go back into the state’s reserve and environmental funds.
At a Thursday rally — the same day Dayton announced the $1.87 billion boon — speakers called for some or all of it to go toward education in the state.
“A surplus is an opportunity,” said Rep. Carlos Mariani, DFL-St. Paul at Thursday’s event at University Baptist Church in Dinkytown. “It gives us a chance to invest back into ourselves, invest in education and into the education of our children.”
He said this issue will move fast and concerned Minnesotans should contact legislators about funneling the surplus toward education.
Rep. Phyllis Kahn, DFL-Minneapolis said while there are many potential ways to spend the additional funds, like tax refunds, one her biggest priorities was student debt and the reinstatement of a tuition freeze at the University of Minnesota.
Speakers at the event, hosted by University of Minnesota Academics United, called for the surplus to be invested in education and to help close the achievement gap among Minnesota students.
At the rally, University Physics graduate student and teacher’s assistant Jarrett Brown said he’s noticed a need for decreased class sizes and more instructors at the University — changes that could be possible with extra state funding.
Associate history professor Eva von Dassow said students are pressured to graduate in four or five years to avoid amassing more debt, which causes students to struggle with heavy course loads, multiple jobs, and stress that that could their ability to learn.
“It’s way too early to make a prediction of what Gov. Dayton will do with the budget surplus,” said Minnesota Office of Higher Education Commissioner Larry Pogemiller. “The history of Dayton and higher education has been good but not perfect.”
VOTING INSTRUCTIONS – SECRET MAIL BALLOT:
1. Place an X in the designated space next to the candidate of your choice.
DO NOT PUT ANY OTHER MARKS ON THE BALLOT.
2 Place the ballot in the small unmarked envelope and seal it.
3. Place the small envelope inside the red printed return envelope and seal it.
4. Print your name and address on the upper left corner of the red printed business reply envelope and SIGN YOUR NAME ON THE SIGNATURE LINE PROVIDED. (YOUR ENVELOPE MUST CONTAIN BOTH YOUR PRINTED NAME AND SIGNATURE FOR YOUR BALLOT TO BE COUNTED). Return the ballot by U.S. Mail.
5. The red printed envelopes will be held until Wednesday, November 18, 2015, by the Bureau of Mediation Services when they will be picked up by the Election Board. The envelopes will be opened at the Union office in the presence of observers designated by each candidate. At that time the small inner envelope will remain closed until all the red printed envelopes have been opened and the inner envelopes placed in a suitable container for mixing, whereupon the inner envelopes will be opened and tallied by the designated tellers.
6. Any writing on the ballot other than a simple X in the designated space beside the candidate’s name on the ballot will automatically void the ballot.
7. Only one ballot to an envelope – more than one will void all in that envelope.
8. IMPORTANT: All ballots must be returned by U.S. MAIL and received by the Bureau of Mediation Services no later than the regular mail delivery on Wednesday, November 18, 2015, to be valid. You cannot carry your ballot to the meeting, it must be mailed in the designated envelopes.
9. The ballots will be opened and tallied starting at 4:00 P.M. on November 18, 2015, at the union office. Each candidate may have one observer at the counting. The name of the officer elected will be announced at the general membership meeting on Thursday, November 19, 2015.
We want very much to be able to count every ballot we receive, so please follow the instructions carefully.
